Just this morning, the headlines of online newspapers and major news companies bannered Sen. Grace Poe’s call for the President to replace Sec. Art Tugade of the DOTr for under-performing, particularly in resolving the crippling Metro Manila traffic.

Before lunch time, the Facebook page of the DOTr wrote a blistering response to Grace Poe’s call to fire Tugade from DOTr.

Firs and foremost, the DOTr clarified that traffic management is not part of the mandate of the DOTr.

Tugade’s name was floated around as the Traffic Czar in 2016 when the Duterte gov’t requested for an emergency powers.

But since, the emergency powers has been in the freezer, Tugade is not Traffic Czar.

On Poe’s insinuation that Tugade is “lazy” and underperforming, the DOTr enumerated the several achievements of the DOTr under Tugade including the completion of 64 airports all over the country while 133 airport projects are under construction.